Hair removal for aesthetic enhancement of women’s bodies has a long history.
The human body contains5,000,000 hair follicles and while body hair seems pretty useless it actually serves a purpose. Hair helps regulate body temperature, keeping humans warmer in colder climates. It also helps protect the body from outside elements like dirt. Body hair is natural and helpful, why then do women spend so much time removing hair from their own bodies?
All in the name of beauty, of course.
The practice of removing female body hair is not new, it can be traced back to ancient Rome and Egypt.
Some of the first razors, made of copper, were used in Egypt and India around 3000 BCE. Egyptian women removed their head hair and considered pubic hair uncivilized. Upper-class Roman women of the sixth century BCE used tweezers, pumice stones and depilatories to achieve the desired degree of hairlessness, while Egyptians of Cleopatra’s time used a sugar mixture in a method similar to waxing. Elizabethan women removed their eyebrows and hair from their foreheads to give themselves a longer brow.
The modern era of hair removal may have been encouraged by Charles Darwin’s 1871 book, Descent of Man, through the popularization of his theories of natural selection. That is, hom*o sapiens have less body hair than his/her antecedents because less hairy mates were more sexually attractive. Body hair became a question of competitive selection. By the early 1900s, upper- and middle class white American women associated smooth skin with a desirable femininity.
Hair removal was encouraged through the efforts of three different industries: the women’s fashion industry, the men’s hair removal industry, and the women’s magazine industry, each of which recognized and sought to profit from women’s new role as consumers. First, hemlines rose, threatening to reveal hairy legs. Then, sleeveless garments bared arms. Exposed limbs in the changing fashions of the early 1900s pressured women to shave armpits and legs.
Harper’s Bazaar was the first of the women’s magazines to run hair removal advertisem*nts in a campaign that debuted in 1914. As arms and legs became more exposed, Gillette created the Milady Décolleté, which launched an anti-underarm hair campaign in 1915. With the first safety razor specifically for women available, Gillette ads urged them to remove “unsightly” and “objectionable hair” from their bodies, especially their underarms. In an ad that appeared in Harper’s Bazaar in 1915, completely bare underarms were a “necessity” to show off completely bare arms.
Fashions of the 1940s, coupled with World War II meant that American women were more and more likely to shave their legs. The wartime shortage of nylon meant women couldn’t wear stockings every day. Having to go bare legged, more women shaved their legs, a practice that prepared them for the mini-skirt in the 1960s. By 1964, 98 percent of American women were routinely shaving their legs.
With the introduction of the bikini in 1946, the stage was set for women to start trimming pubic hair as well. In the 1950s, Hugh Hefner’s Playboy magazine introduced clean-shaven, scantily-clad model—sexy, lingerie-draped women who became benchmarks for the ideal look.
Although Playboy flaunted its feminine beauties, feminists of the 1960s and 1970s turned their backs on the ideal of the hairless body in favor of women au natural. The rejection proved to be short-lived, however. Brazilian wax hit the mainstream. The first salon offering a complete wax hair removal experience came stateside in 1987. News of the practice travelled mostly through word of mouth. Hairless was back in. In a scene in Sex and the City around 2000, even Carrie Bradshaw gets one. Cleopatra would have approved.
Explore the history of extreme beauty trends with the current exhibit at the Women’s Museum of California, Beauty or Torture
FAQs
Women in ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Indian cultures were subjected to hair removal practices similar to today's. Dating back to 3,000 BCE (!), the first razors made from seashells were used by women to shave off head and pubic hairs. Egyptians also removed hair with sugar-based waxes like modern-day waxing practices.
When did female hair removal start? ›
Beginning in the early twentieth century, manufacturers of safety razors, seeking to expand their market, promoted the idea that body hair on women is inherently masculine and indelicate, as well as unhygienic. Gillette introduced the first razor marketed specifically to women, called the Milady Decollette, in 1915.
How did ancient people remove pubic hair? ›
Roman Empire
Many paintings and sculptures of ancient Roman women reveal that even pubic hair was removed. Hair removal was done via flint razors, tweezers, creams and stones.
Did girls shave their pubes in the 80s? ›
In the 1980s, they were now encouraged on trimming and even to do a thorough shave. During this period, videos and images of women who had a shaved pubis were in circulation through fashion photography, which made women give it a thought.
Why did females shave pubic hair? ›
About 67% of women said they do it because they feel more feminine, 63% said they like to feel soft, and 62% said their partner liked it. Women who didn't shave said they opt out because of the side effects, like itching and bumps, or because their partner prefers them not to.
What cultures don't shave pubic hair? ›
Sikhs. The Sikh religion forbids cutting or shaving any bodily hair.
Why do Japanese don't shave pubic hair? ›
Because in their culture it's a symbol of sexual health and fertility. They even have clinics, where doctors transpland hair from their head to down 'there'. What is the safest way to shave pubic hair?
When did pubic hair become taboo? ›
In Ancient Egypt, body hair, especially pubic hair, was a symbol of the uncivilized, depicted as dirty and unhygienic, hence why many women opted for hair removal. They also followed the trends set by Cleopatra, who removed all of her body hair, including from the top of her head, to signify social class.
Do most girls shave down there? ›
Pubic hair removal is common — approximately 80 percent of women ages 18 to 65 report they remove some or all of their pubic hair.
What percent of females shave their pubic hair? ›
Pubic Hair Trends
According to the researchers, when asked if they removed their pubic hair, 80% of women and 39% of men removed their pubic hair near the time of the survey. Also, 3% of women and 21% of men had never removed their pubic hair.
Because pubic hair appears during puberty, it is often a physical sign of sexual maturity and may once have served as a visual cue for prospective mates.
What happens if you never shave your pubic hair? ›
You're Less Likely To Get Rashes
If you don't shave, those things aren't really a possibility anymore, leaving you and your lady parts in peace. Indeed, Dweck listed infected hair follicles (folliculitis), rashes, and irritation (razor burn) as some of the most common issues she sees from patients who shave.
How often should a woman shave her pubic hair? ›
To keep the pubic area smooth and hairless, you'll need to shave regularly, even daily. Consider if this is worth the trouble; it may become tedious after four or five weeks.
Is it Sanitary to shave pubic hair? ›
There's no medical or hygienic reason for removing some or all of your pubic hair. But the removal process can be painful and cause many side effects, including: Genital itching, sometimes severe.
Are there girls with no pubic hair? ›
The amount of pubic hair that women generally have is quite variable, and some women are relatively hairless. In many cultures and with different fashions, having minimal pubic and axillary hair is considered 'normal' and hair may be actively removed.
Is no pubic hair more hygienic? ›
As mentioned above, pubic hair serves a protective function by trapping pathogens that could otherwise enter your body. Removing pubic hair may therefore make a person more susceptible to common infections, such as UTIs, vaginitis, and yeast infections.
Why not to cut pubes with scissors? ›
The safest technique is trimming pubic hair with scissors, if they do not come into contact with the skin. Shaving or using methods that remove hair from the hair follicle can lead to effects such as unintentional cuts or small cuts in the skin, redness or irritation.
Do men bathe together in Japan? ›
For centuries, Japanese men and women bathed together in a shared space, known as mixed-gender onsens. In Japan, this concept is called Konyoku. Records of the Konyoku onsen have dated as far back as the 9th century, but many scholars believed it existed even way before.
How do models have no body hair? ›
There are a number of hair removal options they could be using, some of which are temporary and others that are permanent. Temporary options include shaving (by far the most popular method), waxing, depilatory creams, tweezing, and trimming.
What is the most pubic hair ever? ›
3. On an average, pubic hair ranges between 0.5 to 1.5 inches. But according to the Illustrated Book of Sexual Records, the longest known pubic hair in history was 28 inches long and belonged to a woman from South Africa.
Gently press down on the razor, pull the skin taut and shave in short, steady strokes in the direction of the hair growth. Rinse off the razor after each stroke to keep the blades clean. For a closer shave, reapply shave gel and carefully shave against the direction of the hair growth.
When did female body hair become unattractive? ›
By the early 1900s, upper- and middle-class white America increasingly saw smooth skin as a marker of femininity, and female body hair as disgusting, with its removal offering “a way to separate oneself from cruder people, lower class and immigrant,” Herzig wrote.
Did girls wear their hair down in the 1800s? ›
Females could wear their hair “down” in polite society until around the age of 16. After marriage, women had no choice but to wear their hair “up,” in complicated “dressings” or with a simple center part and the rest gathered into a bun or a fancier chignon at the back.
When did waxing pubic hair begin? ›
The ancient Egyptians around 1150 BC removed all their hair from their armpits to their pubic hair using sugaring. Far it was they who wanted to be animal-like. While people had been removing hair since the cavemen, the Egyptians began the format closest to waxing.
What year did the first woman shave her legs? ›
According to the book "The body project", women started shaving their legs in the 1920's when skirts became shorter.
What nationality has less body hair? ›
Harris, publishing in the British Journal of Dermatology in 1947, wrote American Indians have the least body hair, Chinese and black people have little body hair, white people have more body hair than black people and Ainu have the most body hair.
When did it become fashionable to have no pubic hair? ›
With more exposure came a growing desire to remove hair around the bikini line, in addition to other areas of the body like the legs and armpits. Brazilian waxes, a beauty treatment consisting of removing all pubic hair, became a standard by the '80s.
How did Victorian ladies wash their hair? ›
Women were advised to dilute pure ammonia in warm water and then massage it through the scalp and hair, like modern shampoo. Men were also counseled to take great care when selecting a lifelong mate.
How did slaves wear their hair? ›
Plaits, braids and cornrows were the most convenient hairstyles to keep their hair neat and maintained for a week. Enslaved people who worked indoors were forced to wear their hair in one of those styles or a style similar to that of their slaveowner if they did not cover their hair with a scarf, kerchief or wig.
Who is the woman who never cut her hair? ›
Tere Lynn Svetlecich Russell, a woman in Illinois, has never had a haircut. For real. Never. Tere Lynn has three daughters who also have super long hair.
The Caveman Era
Without the means to create a razor, cavemen had to get creative. They scraped off their hair with a sharpened rock or a seashell.
Who popularized shaving pubic hair? ›
The practice of removing female body hair is not new, it can be traced back to ancient Rome and Egypt. Some of the first razors, made of copper, were used in Egypt and India around 3000 BCE. Egyptian women removed their head hair and considered pubic hair uncivilized.
What culture does not shave their armpits? ›
China. China isn't fully westernized, so Chinese notions of beauty differ greatly than American ones (which is refreshing). In China, underarm or leg hair is nothing to be worried about; body hair is considered completely natural and acceptable in their culture. As a result, hair removal just isn't very popular there.
How did Romans remove body hair? ›
During the Roman Empire, the lack of body hair was considered a sign of the classes. Wealthy women and men used razors made from flints, tweezers, creams, and stones to remove excess hair.
Why do some females not shave their armpits? ›
Bumps, irritation and ingrown hair
Shaving your armpits doesn't automatically lead to a smooth underarm. Sometimes, using blunt razors can lead to bumps, irritation and even infections. Some people want to circumvent this whole process, so they don't shave.
Harper’s Bazaar was the first of the women’s magazines to run hair removal advertisem*nts in a campaign that debuted in 1914. As arms and legs became more exposed, Gillette created the Milady Décolleté, which launched an anti-underarm hair campaign in 1915. With the first safety razor specifically for women available, Gillette ads urged them to remove “unsightly” and “objectionable hair” from their bodies, especially their underarms. In an ad that appeared in Harper’s Bazaar in 1915, completely bare underarms were a “necessity” to show off completely bare arms.
Although Playboy flaunted its feminine beauties, feminists of the 1960s and 1970s turned their backs on the ideal of the hairless body in favor of women au natural. The rejection proved to be short-lived, however. Brazilian wax hit the mainstream. The first salon offering a complete wax hair removal experience came stateside in 1987. News of the practice travelled mostly through word of mouth. Hairless was back in. In a scene in Sex and the City around 2000, even Carrie Bradshaw gets one. Cleopatra would have approved.